i like how the amazing digital circus is almost like. zoochosis: the show. like it's not directly stated or anything and it honestly might be just me seeing it (and my wonderful buddies @zalcagon and @skallyeen) but i find it interesting how the setting is almost like. zoo-animal like. but theyre whole people!!!! people dont do well in captivity!!! i find it cool to see similarities with how caine treats the other characters kinda how an irresponsible parrot owner takes care of a parrot. no hiding places and hes not really giving them the right kind of enrichment and he doesnt really allow them the ability to engage in naturalistic behaviors (making things, decorating their own environment, and even not really allowing them to experience mundane discomforts like having to wash dishes or sweep or get a stain out of your clothes! and then he gets all upset with them for being miserable with him... it's an environment that completely robs people of personal dignity and privacy and control! i find it very unique and i really do like its purposeful usage of child-friendly sanitization and how it uses it in contrast to the messy relationships between the characters and such
like. ive seen some people pointing out how Normal jax acts in the spudsys episode. and my interpretation was that it's because caine is finally allowing them to have an experience in a naturalistic environment!!!!! they get to feel the low-stakes relief of ducking into the back to hide and shirk responsibilities!! they get the inconvenience of being exhausted and you wish your shift would end already so you can go home!!! jax's asshole behavior is essentially jax exhibiting human zoochosis!!! him purposefully getting himself excluded from his peers is the human (a very social animal heavily reliant on others) equivalent to a wolf gnawing at its leg!!! it's a parrot plucking out its own feathers!!
and the worst part is that the're *not* zoo animals!! they're people!! they can communicate perfectly well with caine, and they often do complain about their mistreatment with perfect clarity!! but his own egotism and his own aversion to emotionally "locking in" are what prevents him from being liked by these people who are just as trapped here with each other as he is!!!
in episode eight in particular, zooble asks, in no uncertain terms, that they would like to have an emotional break period before their next adventure so that they could process All Of That from episode seven. but caine's own egotism keeps him from really listening to them and building a genuine rapport somewhat (or at the very least some appreciation for the show of good will)!!
they hated him because he was inconsiderate and irresponsible!!! and then he has the audacity to be all miserable over their dislike of them!! i like caine a lot and i acknowledge that he was just doing his best. but i just like that he was doing his best but all of this still couldve been avoided if he just Listened!!!
i just think that it's a very fun way to view the story.....
